


Driving North

by asimpleline18



Series: A Box of Zimbits [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 23:45:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12736743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asimpleline18/pseuds/asimpleline18
Summary: Eric prepares to make the biggest move of his life while breaking off the pieces that hold him to a certain place, time, and way of life.





	Driving North

**Author's Note:**

> Woot! After months of radio silence, I'm back with more fanfiction. I've made a lot of major life moves the past couple of months and have been super busy. One part of that was making a move to a new city and new state and I've really been contemplating the effects that has had on my identity.
> 
> I joined a Discord server on a whim for Nano so I've been writing a lot more. I'm nowhere near the typical word count goal but I've been working on a longer story and shorts like this. I'd like to thank everyone on that server for being supportive and helping to motivate through accountability. <3

Eric started packing in his head long before high school graduation. He wanted to make sure he didn't leave anything he thought he would need behind. There were old notebooks filled with math notes and video ideas. There was his old workhorse of a laptop and the meager recording equipment he used to make his vlogs. His Moomaw promised him a tablet for his graduation so he wouldn't have to lug his computer to class and back. It was fine but wouldn't last long with the jostling and bumping around in a book bag every day.

His mama promised him a shopping trip for other dorm necessities when they got to Massachusetts but they did kitchen shopping at a local store. She equipped him with a few small pots and pans, spatulas, a decent whisk, and other kitchen gadgets that would make sense in a dorm setting. Eric assured her he would be fine and he would probably be eating in the cafeteria with the team most days anyway. He was happy to have some stuff to bake pies with especially because that's how  he took  care of people — like most of the Phelps. He swore there was no one in his mama's family who couldn't whip up something from even the most decrepit can of corn or cream of mushroom soup.

Most of Eric's week was dedicated to being a day camp counselor at the local park. Parents dropped their kids off in the morning and picked them up in the mid-afternoon. It was a substitute for school and most parents liked that their kids would socialize in that absence. The days were generally geared toward play so it was more babysitting than organized activities but Eric had his own chance to socialize and make some money to spend while at college. His peers were always on his case for wanting to go up north for school but Eric was so excited to play hockey in a state that actually got cold in the winter. It was the simplest way to explain his college choice without mentioning the one in four...

Samwell sent him weekly emails helping him prepare in the lead up to moving especially since Eric was going to move in with all the other fall and winter athletes. He set up all his school accounts and signed up for a dorm. By the end of July, he had his roommate assignment — or lack of one. Somehow he scored a single room in a suite which was definitely okay with him. That meant no evening distractions and no one barging in on him recording vlogs. The mess would be all his own so he wouldn't have to yell at someone to clean up or worse, have someone yell at him for his own messy habits.

The day camp ended just before a lot of the teenage workforce was due to leave for college. Without that time spent watching children, Eric started to worry. This would be the first time he left home on his own and without access to a car. What would he do if something went terribly wrong? He started packing two weeks before he and his family were going to make the drive. Posters came down from his walls and nicknacks were carefully chosen to decorate his new room.

Coach got his football schedule and made sure he was on the trip to drop Eric off since there was a big rivalry game on parents' weekend. He grumbled about the truck having more room when they started to pack the van. That argument was quickly settled by the fact there was only a bench seat in the truck and there was no way they were going to cram into that seat for the whole sixteen hour drive. There was also no point in taking two cars. Even so, Eric packed the trunk from floor to ceiling and creeped onto the back seat. Coach and his mama's suitcase was in the middle row with Eric along with his own overnight bag. It was going to be a two day trip stopping about halfway outside of Washington D.C.

The drive was uneventful and Coach drove most of the way. It was like most family vacations: long hours watching the scenery go by, sleeping, and experiencing the underwhelming atmosphere of highway rest stops. There were enough of these kinds of drives while Eric was ice skating and later, playing hockey. Most of the games and tournaments were still pretty local though there once was a hockey tournament all the way in Charlotte, North Carolina. His team made it to just below the podium. They were all pretty happy considering they played a sport on ice in the middle of Georgia.

That night in the hotel room was one of the longest in Eric's life. He had a difficult time sleeping on the hard mattress in a room that wasn't his own — though his room at home felt less and less like his for the past two weeks as he dismantled it. He tossed and turned while his parents literally snored away in the other full bed. He always joked about how his parents were made for each other by the way their snores synched up. Señor Bun was tucked under the covers with him smelling like home. Eric mused about how long his stuff would smell like home and if he would even notice it vanishing. After a few fitful hours and a peculiar dream, they were on the road again.

Breakfast was had at a Waffle House — oh how it was similar to the ones Eric and his friends enjoyed after hockey games. Things got a lot greener and a lot less flat as they traveled north. Farmlands gave way to forests and towns snuggled in between the mountains. They played the farm animal counting game. Coach teased that there were two sets of eyes against his one single set but somehow, he was always able to spot the cemeteries and graveyards which brought Suzanne and Eric's count back to zero.

They skirted multiple large cities on their second day. Only the tallest buildings could be seen in the distance as the houses grew closer together and roads clogged with cars. Each new landmark brought more excitement. Suzanne turned around a few times to smile at Eric excitedly while he caught Coach looking back at him through the rear view mirror. They reached Samwell by mid-afternoon and walked around the campus. This was the first time anyone was seeing the campus as this was Eric's dream school. It was as idyllic as the pictures and almost as hot as Georgia.

There was a coffee shop called Annie's that Eric and Suzanne perused for a sweet treat and an equally sweet cold coffee. Coach just ordered a black coffee among all the items on the menu and Suzanne rolled her eyes at him for "not being fun." They found Eric's future dorm for reference and perused the campus with that building as their main waypoint. He was close to Founders Library which Eric imagined he would spend a lot of time getting to know.

The frat houses were a lot further away but they were right across the street from some local bars and restaurants. The hockey house was very apparent with the crossed hockey sticks hanging above the front door and was already hopping with people. Eric's parents eyed it warily with a quiet, "Just make sure you study too, Dicky." They went to a bar and lounge down the street by the post office called Jerry's for dinner. The whole day's menu was in one book and Eric and Suzanne talked excitedly about the whoopie pies. The hoped they would get a chance to get back some morning before Coach and Suzanne had to go back to Georgia.

They checked into their hotel a little later and Eric spent another night fretting on an uncomfortable mattress. He doubted his dorm one would be any better but he would also have his own comforter and pillows that would feel better than the sandpapery ones on the hotel bed. Everything felt like it crinkled and creased like paper. So much of the past few months lead up to the next day. There was an excitement and a trepidation. Eric slept about as well as the night before which meant not well.

They got up early and grabbed a quick drive-thru breakfast and coffee before getting to Eric's dorm. There was a twenty minute window for them to unload the car before they had to move it so Eric found where they were checking people in and letting students borrow carts while Coach and his mama unpacked the car to the sidewalk. It took about two trips to move his stuff to his new room. Meanwhile, Coach moved the car to one of the campus parking lots. Eric and Suzanne were starting to wonder if he got lost when he showed up with whoopie pies from Jerry's in a takeout container. They were so much better than they expected from a campus dive bar.

After taking stock of what Eric needed in terms of food and other dorm accessories, they went shopping. A lot of little things like sewing kits and room fresheners made it into the cart along with cleaning supplies and typical college dorm food. When they got back, there were fewer people moving in and only one of Eric's other suitemates moved in with him. He plays basketball so he's gearing up for his preseason like Eric.

Eric's parents offered to stick around and help him unpack but he declined because he wanted to experience this himself. He hugged and kissed them — something Coach usually avoided — and said their goodbye. His parents were staying at the hotel one more night before going home. They made plans for breakfast and Eric shooed them out before they found a reason to stay.

He pulled out his phone and clicked through it to find his favorites playlist. His suitemate popped his head in and let Eric know he was going out. He apparently already found things to do around campus. Eric mused that he'll be busy soon enough once he meets the hockey team — he hoped. Before he let himself follow that rabbit hole too far, he turned on his music and surveyed his room, already planning.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments encouraged and appreciated! You can find me on Tumblr at writingdragon.tumblr.com. <3


End file.
